[Homer_J_Simpson]

Free Republic University, Department of History presents World War II Plus 70 Years: Seminar and Discussion Forum
First session: September 1, 2009. Last date to add: September 2, 2015.
Reading assignment: New York Times articles delivered daily to students on the 70th anniversary of original publication date. (Previously posted articles can be found by searching on keyword “realtime” Or view Homer’s posting history .)
To add this class to or drop it from your schedule notify Admissions and Records (Attn: Homer_J_Simpson) by freepmail. Those on the Realtime +/- 70 Years ping list are automatically enrolled. Course description, prerequisites and tuition information is available at the bottom of Homer’s profile. Also visit our general discussion thread.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Selections from West Point Atlas for the Second World War
Papua, New Guinea, 1942
Allied Advance Across Owen Stanley Mountains, 26 Sept.-15 Nov. 1942
Allied Reinforcement by Air and Advance to Buna, 14 Oct.-15 Nov. 1942
The Solomons: Guadalcanal and Florida, 1942
Southwest Russia, 1942: German Advance to Stalingrad, Operations, 24 July-18 November 1942
The Far East and the Pacific, 1941: Status of Forces and Allied Theater Boundaries, 2 July 1942
India-Burma, 1942: Allied Lines of Communication, 1942-1943

[BroJoeK]

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October 15, 1942:

• "25,000 Jews of Brest-Litovsk, Belorussia, are murdered.
  Jewish resistance, led by Hana Ginsberg, attempts to fight back."

• October 15-21, 1942: "An SS Aktion is undertaken against Jews of Piotrków Trybunalski, Poland.
  Many are shot in their homes and 22,000 are deported to the Treblinka death camp."

"Members of a Sonderkommando (special unit) burn the bodies of victims gassed at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Selected from among the prisoners, the Sonderkommando had to perform especially onerous tasks, including searching the dead for valuables, moving bodies to the crematoria or open pits, and cleaning the gas chambers.
They received better housing and food, but these were short-lived privileges since the Sonderkommando members were gassed and replaced at regular intervals."

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[PeterPrinciple]

Monkeys in Soviet Plane Survive German Attack.

MOSCOW, OCT 14 - Thirteen monkeys flown recently from Leningrad to Moscow arrived safely after an attack on their plane by a German fighter. They belong to the Physiological Institute founded by the noted scientist, Ivan Pavloff.

According to a member of the institutes staff who accompanied them, the monkeys behaved well during their journey. They took regular seats in the plane, although they left them frequently to look at the view from the windows.

The institutes's macaques, mandrills and other monkeys had a hard time last Winter in beleaguered Leningrad. Their bread ration was often as little as one-quarter of a pound daily. Carrots and potatoes were rare. They picked up in weight and spirits last Summer, however, making frequent raids on strawberry patches planted by Professor Pavloff.

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I find the little articles interesting some time. I suppose the purpose here was to provide a little relief from the current seriousness. Anyone remember Professor Pavloff?

[Seizethecarp]

(Pavlov’s) “Monkeys in Soviet Plane Survive German Attack” sounds like a good story for a movie script!

[Seizethecarp]

The beer ad with the cartoon showing the guy in his pajamas raiding the frig at 2:00 AM as shown on the clock has me scratching my head. Who gets up to have a beer at 2:00 AM...besides someone with a clear problem?

[PeterPrinciple]

US plans 7,500,000 army in 1943

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You have to stop and think about this. At the old 20,000 men per division (4 regiments) that would be 375 divisions. At the more modern change then of 3 regiments, that would be 500 divisions. A division is a complete self contained unit ready to go to war from administration to cooks.

This may have been hype for the press. The earliest planning I read was approx 250 divisions and provided a 2:1 advantage over the enemy that was need to defeat them. In reality I think we ended up with approx 100 divisions, two that never saw combat?

But there were a lot of planning scenarios at the time.